MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil quits International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)

The Lula administration itself has not officially commented on the withdrawal

Brazil has withdrawn as an observer member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). This decision came shortly after the South American country announced its plan to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Despite no official comments from the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, diplomatic sources told Folha de S. Paulo that the move stemmed from joining the group in an “inappropriate” manner during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The IHRA was founded in 1998 to promote Holocaust education, remembrance, and research. It has 35 member countries and eight observers. It is known for its working definition of antisemitism, adopted in 2016, which includes 11 examples of antisemitic behavior. Several of these examples relate to Israel, such as applying double standards to the country or comparing its policies to Nazism.

The IHRA's definition has become a subject of global debate. Critics argue it is often used to suppress legitimate criticism of Israel and silence pro-Palestinian speech, pointing to cases where it was invoked to sanction journalists and activists. The lead penner of the definition, Kenneth Stern, has also stated that it was not intended to be used as a tool to restrict free speech.

In response to the controversy, an alternative known as the “Jerusalem Declaration” was drafted in 2021 by a group of scholars in a move to provide a clearer definition of antisemitism while explicitly allowing for open debate and criticism of Israel.

Brazil's withdrawal was criticized by Israel and the Organization of American States (OAS) as a “profound moral failure” and a “mistake.”